IDENTIFICATION OF SUPPORT AND BARRIERS TO HEALTH PROFESSIONS AMONG UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITY YOUTH

Finkelstein Auditorium

Objective. To determine factors in support of or barriers against under-represented youth towards health profession careers. Background. Despite decades of efforts, the health professions in the U.S. have not mirrored the diversity within the communities they serve. The Institute of Medicine has stated that a lack of diversity among health providers may result in an unequal quality of care for diverse patients. According to the 2013 U.S. census, Black or African-American (BOAA) comprised 13.2% of the population. In the most recent data, BOAA accounted for only 6.3% of U.S. physicians. Similar inequalities have been found in enrollment for most health professions. To address health disparities, educational institutions must improve their ability to recruit, enroll, and retain BOAA students in the health profession careers. This study aims to identify barriers and supportive factors among this population towards health professions. Methods. 149 subjects randomly selected using convenience sampling of participants attending the T. Leroy Jefferson Career Symposium. Subjects completed an anonymous pre and post survey questionnaire. Data was analyzed using IBM SPSS version 23 software. Results. Supportive factors identified: 45% strong interest in healthcare, 36% plan set, 12% available finances, 7% supportive family. Barriers identified: 42% lack of finances, 30% lack of interest, 25% inability to develop a plan, and 3% lack of family support. Conclusion. Health profession institutions should increase financial support and generate interest among health careers in order to improve recruitment and enrollment of under-represented minorities. Grants. This grant was funded by the CHCS Dean’s Research Committee.